The present invention relates to a copying machine which feeds sheets from sheet cassettes detachably set therein and, more particularly, to an improved copying machine having first and second openings selectively usable for the access of a sheet cassette to a predetermined position thereinside.
A copying machine such as an electrophotographic copier reproduces images on a roll of sheet, cut pieces of sheet or like suitable form of sheet. A sheet cassette may be loaded with a stack of predetermined number of cut sheets having a given size or format. The body of a copier may be so designed as to allow the movement of the sheet cassette into or out of its interior through one of the opposite lateral sides thereof. This one side for the sheet cassette to have access to the machine body may be the right-hand side as viewed from the front where an operator of the machine will stand to manipulate the machine.
Apart from the fundamental copying function, modern electrophotographic copying machines have been furnished with various optional functions. For instance, such a copier may be used in combination with a sorter or a collator to carry out automatic operations for sorting or collating copy sheets coming out of the copier. The sorter or the collator in use is physically connected with a specific side of the copier where copy sheets will be discharged from the copier.
A known type of copying machine has a cassette insertion opening or mouth and a sheet discharge tray positioned one above the other at one side of the machine. When combined with this type of machine, a sorter or a collator will adjoin said specific side of the machine body to take over copy sheets discharged from the copier. Thus, an operator needs to perform a troublesome work for moving the sorter or the collator away from the copier whenever he or she intends to mount or demount the sheet cassette into or out of the cassette insersion opening or mouth of the copier.
Copying machines are often installed in relatively narrow areas in offices and other buildings and, in this respect, they should preferably occupy as small spaces as possible. In fact, however, a copier of the type described requires a certain additional space therearound to accommodate the ingress or egress of the sheet cassette which eventually increases the overall space occupied by the copier. Where for example the copier is located at a corner of a room defined by two walls, the side of the copier having the mouth must not stand near to the walls.
Thus, if the sheet cassette can have access to the interior of the copying machine not only at the cassette side concerned but at the front where the machine will be manipulated by an operator, it will become possible to save the time and labor necessary for moving a sorter or a collator even at the time of replacement or the like of a sheet cassette or to install the machine body in a desired space with the cassette side adjacent to a wall.